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Comment by phreanix | Hacker News Reader

"Ethics" in Asia are not the same as the rest of the industrialized world. While I can't speak for Korean ethics, I've had dealings in other Asian countries where business ethics are really more like guidelines, elastic ones at that.

I wouldn't be surprised if the execs who sanctioned this behavior on Samsung's part don't even understand that it was wrong.

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Right ... and US companies are always ethical, and have always been that way? Or US companies have simply been burt so many times that they know not to play loose with the truth.

It's probably worth noting that Korea "chaebol" (conglomerates) can be a little odd. They have a lot of power over the local government and media, so they end up thinking they are invincible. They are sometimes said to be very shady, at times.

Exactly. While the US of course (as mentioned below) have corporations that exert influence over government, overstep the law, etc., it is generally NOT tolerated by the general public.

That's where it's different in Asia, where such behavior is business as usual.

Big Tobacco in the USA is of course a shining example of the West's greater moral values /sarcasm

Microsoft Monsanto Exxon and so on...

Of course it happens in the US. I think that's covered enough here and elsewhere. But i believe the basic ideal of ethics is a cultural one. Consider that certain cultures in Asia, China for example, have been doing things a certain way thousands of years, and some of those ways are repulsive to the average American.

I don't accept this - everyone surely knows its wrong, however its a matter of how wrong. Is it seen to be wrong like driving 5kmh over the speed limit is?

Its only a matter of getting used to. If you have been doing this, and you think your competitors are also doing it, after some time, you will (conveniently) forget that it was wrong to begin with.

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